STAY ON ALERT FOR WILDFIRES

A combination of drought and forest debris left behind by two busy hurricane seasons could fuel wildfires across Florida, state officials warned on Tuesday.

Although not expected to be as bad as 1998, when fires scorched nearly a half million acres across the state, a weak La NiM-qa system is expected to bring dry weather and above-normal heat throughout the state until the end of June -- when a busy hurricane season and wet weather are forecast to kick in.

Hoping to stop fires before they start, the state is embarking on a public awareness campaign.

"We have very dry conditions. It's important to be prepared," said Gov. Jeb Bush, adding that "a surprising number of fires are caused through malicious acts or stupidity."

Bush met Tuesday with representatives from the state Division of Forestry, Division of Emergency Management and the National Guard.

In the event of a major outbreak of wildfires, the state agencies will coordinate with their local and federal counterparts to "attack quick, so they don't spread. ... That saves a tremendous amount of resources," Bush said.

Forestry officials warn that the fires seen raging across a dry Texas and Oklahoma the last few months could be emblematic of what Florida faces.

Because most of the South is facing similar conditions, it is unlikely the state will be able to seek help from its neighbors should major outbreaks occur.

The tinderbox conditions have sparked 1,539 fires across the state, including several in Miami-Dade County, burning 20,988 acres since the beginning of the year.

Several major roads -- including Interstate 10, Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 75 -- have been temporarily closed because of smoke.

There is a lower wildfire risk in South Florida's cities because they are so urbanized. But Stephen McInerny, acting Fort Lauderdale fire chief, said that doesn't mean the dry season won't spark fires in parks and wooded lots.

"Anytime it's this dry in Florida, we see a bigger threat of fire," he said. "A more significant threat is the landscape and brush that's down."

On March 27, McInerny said, a tossed cigarette caught some brush on fire, burning a barbecue grill, stored gas and two apartment buildings in Fort Lauderdale.

In Coral Springs, fire spokesman Mike Moser said residents and visitors are being advised to take care with lighted smoking materials or when parking heated cars over dry grass.

Low humidity allows the brush to burn easier, and "once it gets the heat source, it just goes," he said.

In 2000, similar weather conditions ignited 1,983 fires that consumed 53,068 acres across the state.

"In a normal season, we aren't dry from one end of the state to another, so we have the ability to shift our resources," said Mike Long, director of the state Division of Forestry. "The key right now is to be working prevention, to keep the human-caused fires down until we get into the lightning season ... or we could get overwhelmed."

Bush said he is concerned about the state's emergency managers dealing with a heavy wildfire season and then facing hurricanes.

"It does deplete the resources we have. People are deployed for fires ... and then immediately have to do something similar [for hurricanes]," he said. "It tires people out."

The governor also said it isn't too early to begin talking about the Fourth of July holiday and warning businesses that sell fireworks they could face some restrictions if the drought conditions continue.

"If we have more severe drought conditions, we have to consider those things," Bush said. "We want to work with them early so there are no surprises."

Staff writer Robert Nolin contributed to this report.

Linda Kleindienst can be reached at lkleindienst@sun-sentinel.com or 850-224-6214.